Thousands flee Aceh Jaya floods

Thousands flee Aceh Jaya floods

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Aceh Jaya

Floods have spread in Teunom district, Aceh Jaya regency, since
Monday following heavy rain in the district, located some 180
kilometers west of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh. Due to the
flooding, hundreds of houses in Teunom district were inundated by
water, forcing thousands of local residents to take refuge
elsewhere.

At least 24 subdistricts in Teunom district were affected by
the flooding, which occurred at the end of the dry season this
year.

The wet season is expected to start in most parts of Indonesia
between October and November this year.

Aula Jamaludin, a local resident, said on Tuesday that the
flooding was estimated to continue over the next few days, as it
was still raining in the area on Tuesday. He said that the
flooding stopped only on Monday night, but continued again on
Tuesday. "Krueng Teunom and Krueng On Rivers swelled again due to
rain on Monday night, leading to further flooding," said Aula, as
quoted by Antara news agency.

Another resident Idwainy Saleh said that the flooding had
paralyzed traffic between Banda Aceh municipality and Meulaboh
regency. "Minibuses and jeeps could not pass some spots, and they
had to be loaded onto trucks to pass the area," he said, adding
that the water reached almost one meter deep in some areas
between Banda Aceh and Meulaboh.

The flooding on Tuesday did not only inundate houses of local
residents, but it also washed out hundreds of hectares of rice
fields in the area. The flooding also paralyzed public
transportation traveling between Meulaboh and Banda Aceh. Due to
the flooding, six elementary, junior and senior high schools
suspended classes.

Despite the severe flooding, an official at the Social Welfare
Office of the Aceh provincial administration Burhanuddin said
that he had not received any report on the flooding.

The flooding in Aceh came after similar flooding recently in
some parts of North Sumatra province, including its capital
Medan. The floods are quite unusual as they occurred amid drought
conditions in many parts of Indonesia, including East Nusa
Tenggara province and Java island.